Caesaria

I was sold with the tagline: GIVER. These guys are so genuinely into their lives that you can't help but admire them, even though they are like, the quintessential lowlifes, complete with illegitimate children and sordid tales of fingerbanging cousins (eww..). Either way, they are having the best time with what they have, and it's great fun to watch, even though it's all fake. I have never been in a theatre with a movie playing that brought down the house. It was awesome. I can shotgun better than Farrell (although that doesn't seem very hard to do). His cake was priceless. 10/10

The first time I watched this movie I was all of 13 or so, so it was difficult to appreciate. Now, over time, it is a perfectly crafted entity, each scene a masterpiece. Everyone knows when to arrive, what to say, how to squirm, and when to leave. Flawless. Quentin Tarantino is a genius, but Samuel L. Jackson is The Man, for now and forever.

This is a typical follow up movie for a director who finds success with famous actors in truly ambitious films (of course I can't think of an example at the time). It's a good theatre movie, but watching it at home - look! famous people! Look lesser, younger famous people playing themselves!- it just seems to enjoy the flashy clothes, exotic situations and surplus of 20 million or slightly less costly actors more than I did watching it. And the whole no sex in a big movie, just-a- complicated-past arc is too dull for me. I hate to see it, but this is typical boring movie crap. It's not bad, it's just that Steven Soderberg seems content to rest on his laurels - I suppose this is because backers will note the critical success of "Traffic", note his track record with Julia Roberts and the financial success of this and shower him with diamonds and whatnot - congrats boy-o, you're a professional now! The weird thing is is that I never had a problem with anyone's success (ie Anthony Hopkins) until I saw this. It's just that he sold out so viciously. I mean, Julia Roberts as a muse? Please.